The Art of Handholding
by Mexico
Summary: Shines a little light on Alex's life pre-emancipation. With a bit of Malex. first fanfic ever. please r


Disclaimer: I don't own the OC or any of its characters, thats all Josh.

Growing up, things had been different, living at home, going to school, living at home… Back then, when her parents still provided for her, back when she still let them. The fallout had been tempestuous, neither side showing any waver in stand.

But before it, there was a family, normal in comparison to the other upper-middle class families. Mother, father, two kids; smiling pictures and closed doors with countless hours home alone followed by hours of headphones blaring to drowned out the unaccustomed presence.

"You can't go." Alex turned around to see her almost dirty blonde twelve-year old brother at the door of her room, Lyle Richard Kelly III, people always commented on how the eyes gave away they're relation, those piercing blue eyes, that could see right into you at mere glance. He had been pestering her for the past twenty minutes, trying to persuade her not to leave, taking out everything she placed in her duffel bag. With a final scowl and a punch on his arm from Alex, he left the room, only to return a few minutes later to continue badgering her.

"Trip, knock it off" Alex said as she put her shirts back into the bag. He only let her call him that. She was just going for the long weekend that's all she assured him, besides he'd be fine. They were only a little more than two years apart and they were each other's safety net. As they saw it, it was them against the rents.

"Don't go," he pleaded, "don't leave me with them."

"I told you, I'm only gone for three days, you'll be fine, you'll barely even see them." she reassured him then a smirk came across her face. "Besides Trip, you will be SO busy with your Lizzie."

"What!"

"Oh, I know you like her, Trips got himself a girlfriend." She sang as he protested.

"No, I don't know what you're talking about, I don't even like Lizzie." He said failing at containing a smile.

"Alright, alright, but either way, you know you'll keep yourself so busy that you won't even have time to think about the fact that I'm away or that its just you and them. And you know that it's never just you and them right?" Alex said knowing this would sooth him.

He gave her one last pleading look as he grabbed a stack of her clothes from the bed and helped her pack the rest. Ten minutes later they had packed everything she needed save her toothbrush and darker blue care bear with the rain cloud on its stomach-the essentials, those would have to wait till morning.

"There aren't going to be any guys there right?" he asks giving her a quizzical look as she zipped up the duffel, she just rolls her eyes. Its funny she thinks to herself, half the time he tries to act like he is older than her, trying to be all protective when she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Like in fifth grade when Connor Welch wouldn't stop picking on her and her friend so she punched him, she never had an issue about sticking up for herself. But she had to admit his tough-big-brother act was kind of endearing, twenty-five percent of the time anyway.

The next morning Alex awoke to her mother's stark voice; "You're not up yet? Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Alex just stared at her mother with what some people would call a poker face, her mother, well that's the only face she saw, along with the occasional reproachful look. "Carly's mother will be here to pick you up in an hour." She informed her as she looked around the room, eyeing the piles of clothes and posters sporadically thrown about the room, disgust filling her face. "Oh, and don't think I'm letting you leave until this room is cleaned to MY satisfaction." And with that she turned on her heel leaving the room. Only to pause at the clothes Alex had laid out on her chair the night before. "Oh, and don't wear that, you don't want Carly's parents to think your shoddy." Closing the door she left the room. Alex let her suppressed look of annoyance and contempt show as she flipped off the door and shut her eyes taking deep breaths. "It's not worth fighting over," she kept repeating to herself as she slipped into those very clothes, she'd just have to bite her tongue. "Just need to last one more hour," she sighed to herself, "Then you're gone."

Finally thought Alex, hours later lying on the roof of her best friend Carly's Condo garage, which her window looked out over. This had been a ritual for five years now. Every summer for a long weekend Alex would come up with Carly's family and the two of them would live in their own world for three days. Carly's parents let the girls come and go as they pleased, as long as the were home buy eleven-thirty, and two a couple of fourteen year old that was more than reasonable.

The two girls lay next to each other watching the night set in, in front of them, spectacular oranges and reds faded slowly through purple to a crisp blue, it was as if they were in an I-MAX theater, only missing the popcorn. They talked about anything and everything, progressing from the trivial banter of latest bands to their lives and even their own friendship. Alex had moved away in third grade, but the two refused to let go and created a once in a lifetime friendship. There was a comfort between the two that was unmatched. In a time of questioning and insecurity, that was middle school, the girls could tell each other anything. And they did, just about, only reserving few things they thought they would take to the grave. Each held the other is such a high regard, it wouldn't seem possible to live up too it, while contradictingly finding each others known imperfections endearing or just as is.

"There's another!" Carly squealed as she pointed into the blank night sky where a shooting star had signed its name only moments before.

"Where? Aw, I missed it again." Alex said sadly, "How many have you seen?"

"Eight, you?"

"Three.." She sighed, "Oh well, at least I'm here." Smiling at the girl to her right.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Carly returned the smile, it was always infectious, Alex's smile. The two got ready for bed and headed back out to the roof, they had slept out on it before and the sun would always wake one of them up so Carly's parents never caught them. When Carly had inquired about sleeping on it once, the idea was instantly shutdown, 'What if one of you girls rolled off?' But that never happened, and they always did it.

It was a cooler night for a Californian summer and the two snuggled up next to each other, simply enjoying the others company. Carly reached down and grabbed Alex's hand, entwining her fingers through the other girls causing Alex to smile. It was one of those things that you saw little girls do, walk hand in hand or play dress-up. Unlike the latter, hand holding never phased out for them. Even earlier that day walking down the main street of the little down town the two girls walked fingers entwined swinging them back and forth as they giggled over the local boys and souvenirs. They fit they're hands together in this moment talking of their luck and friendship and how it will always stay constant, amidst everything else in their lives that will inevitably change. And the two girls stayed like this chattering into the night, slowly drifted off into a dream filled sleep under the cool blue night sky.

Now, years later, Alex once again felt her hand being met by another, slowly entwining fingers and holding fast. And it was who she had been hoping it would be, Marissa suddenly standing to her left, gripping her hand as Alex gave it a squeeze a content smile spreading across her face. Neither one saying a word, neither of them needing too. They simply stood there letting themselves absorb the music, and the moment. She glanced over at Marissa briefly catching her eye, sending a chill through both of them.

Holding Marissa's hand was different, as was the feel and meaning of the embrace, her fingertips brushing down the palm of Alex's hand slipping in between Alex's, but still, for a second her mind went to the memory of Carly and that night. It was Carly who had first made her aware of the art of handholding. It wasn't just something two people would randomly do with nothing behind it, it was like any other embrace, it had so many different degrees to it, and with each degree a new meaning. The sudden thought of Carly also brought back the fact that the tradition, never made it to year seven, almost taking the smile off her face. Then Alex thought of where it had taken her, to enduring the end of so much, and eventually standing here at the prospect of something new, this moment with Marissa, and the beginning of something beautiful.


End file.
